No Strangers To Betrayal
by GoatMilkandTACOS
Summary: The friends must find their places in the uncertain world of pirates in their most difficult adventure yet. Nothing will ever be the same again... THIRD IN A SERIES Jack/OC Will/OC
1. Singapore

**Here begins the third installment in our series. It is my favourite and includes writing by the whole group. All chapters are by Nim unless otherwise specified. Read and review!!!**

When I wake up, the scene that greets me is enough to make me shut my eyes again and ignore the world around me.

A cold wind blows strands of my hair across my face as I lie on the deck of the Swift Return, a borrowed blanket pulled over me. It might be too cold to sleep up on deck, but it certainly beats the foul, stinking air below deck, and I can avoid the lecherous old travellers up here. Meg has Will to protect her, but, for now at least, I am alone in this world, alone in my group of friends. What I've done weighs me down, and I find it hard to even talk to Meg nowadays.

This old ship was our only way of getting to Singapore, so when Barbossa discovered he could arrange our passage, I was as eager as the others to get going. However, a month on such a depressing vessel, with little to do but reflect has almost driven me mad. I believe Tia Dalma is finding the confines difficult too, for she has not left her hammock much this last month. That's the thing about being a sea deity, I suppose; it must be hard to be trapped as a human.

The plan is the only thing that's kept me sane. It is simple; summon Sao Feng, a Pirate Lord who wouldn't have heard the call since he hung up his pistol and cutlass and retired to a life of relative luxury in Singapore's filthy underworld; get the charts that show the route to the farthest gate, and save Jack. The three steps, deceptively simple, have become an odd mantra during our journey, something to be repeated every so often when I get desperate.

Still, today, we will reach Singapore, and the first step will be completed.

Meg, Elizabeth and I paddle our canoes down Singapore city's grim river, quietly singing Hoist the Colours in eerily echoing voices. Hanging paper lanterns illuminate the cloudy water and the rickety, skeletal structures of riverside buildings that rise up ominously around us. We're in disguises; simple Oriental robes and wide straw hats that all but hide our faces. I've never wanted a shower more in my life.

Careful strokes through the water with my oars pull me ever closer to Sao Feng's lair, and despite my obvious fear, the curiosity of being in a new city, and the excitement about our adventure keeps me alert and happy compared to how I was on the ship.

We moor the canoes at the jutting dock and climb up onto the grimy cobblestones. We sing still, reaching the chorus;

"Yo-ho, all together! Hoist the colours high! Heave-ho..."

"Thief and beggar, never say we die..." we are greeted by a small band of grimy pirates, their attire similar to ours but long curved knives glittering frighteningly at their belts. The leader, who I know is called Tai Huang, smiles and steps forward, "A dangerous song to be singing for anyone ignorant of its meaning. Particularly women... particularly women alone." he grins voraciously.

"What makes you think they're alone?" Barbossa comes down the steps behind them, just like in the film. I almost laugh.

"Barbossa." Tai Huang spits.

"You're master's expecting us, and an unexpected death would cast a slight pall on our meeting." Barbossa warns. He is a Pirate Lord, and therefore of a higher status than this rowdy group.

Tai Huang nods and reluctantly leads us off. We're about to reach Sao Feng's inner sanctum.

The bath house is vile. I've never been in such a hot, humid room that smells so bad. Water runs down the walls in brackish streams, pooling on the uneven floor. The ground beneath my bare feet is slimy and gritty, and I have to concentrate on our purpose to keep from fainting. My clothes have been removed all the way down to a mercifully long, thin shirt that ends just above my knees. Tai Huang wanted to make sure we weren't carrying weapons. Meg and Elizabeth are in the same state, and we exchange tortured looks.

In the steamy end of the room, a man stands with his back to us, visible only because of the glint of his shiny bald head. He is flanked by two pretty but grimy women.

"Captain Barbossa..." he says, finally turning and smiling at us, "Welcome to Singapore."

Barbossa pulls us into low bows, and the retired pirate seems amused.

"It's an honour... seriously." Meg tells him. I stifle a laugh.

"I understand you have a request to make of me?"

"More of a proposal to put to ye." Barbossa corrects, ever after the technicality that will get him what he wants, "I've a venture underway, and I find myself in need of a ship and a crew."

Sao Feng looks pensive for a moment.

"Tis an odd coincidence." he pauses in mock-thought, "For just earlier this day, a thief broke into my most revered uncle's temple, and tried to make off with these." he picks up a rolled-up map, tied off with black ribbon, "The navigational charts... the route to the farthest gate."

He gives a nod to a pair of heavies standing beside one of the stagnant baths, who pull a man from its depths. His hands are tied to a pole across his shoulders and he splutters uncontrollably. We all recognize the boyish face of Will Turner. Meg moves forward and I reach out an arm to stop her.

"Is this face familiar to you?" Sao Feng asks.

We all fall over ourselves swearing ignorance, and Sao Feng draws a long, wooden spike from his intricately-patterned robes. He holds it to Will's face.

"Then I guess he has no further need for it..."

Meg screams, and Will just looks disappointed. Sao Feng smiles smugly, and there is silence. It is an impasse.

Or so I think... Barbossa tosses a coin to Sao Feng; a piece of eight.

"The song has been sung." when he speaks, his voice is ominous, "The time is upon us. W must convene the Brethren Court. As one of the nine Pirate Lords, you must honour the call."

Sao Feng thinks for a moment, twirling his long moustache between his thin, grimy fingers.

"There is a price on all our heads, it is true." he says slowly, "And since the only way a pirate can turn a profit any more is by betraying other pirates." his eyes dart momentarily to Will.

"It's time to put our differences aside. The first Brethren Court gained control of the seas, and now that rule is being challenged by Lord Cutler Beckett!" Barbossa suddenly reminds me of the enormity of the battle before us. I force the sick feeling down deep in my stomach and try to concentrate on something else; the sound below us, faint but real, of the crew readying our weapons.

"Against the East India Company, what value is the Brethren Court? What can any of us do?" Sao Feng demands.

"You can fight!" Meg exclaims, smiling the faintest smile. I am pulled out of my reverie, "You are Sao Feng, the pirate lord of Singapore! You and I are in an age of piracy where bold captains sail free waters, where waves aren't measured in feet, but by increments of fear, and those who pass the test become legends! Would you have that era come to an end on your watch? The most notorious pirates from around the world are uniting against our enemy, and yet you sit here, cowering in your bath water!" she finishes dramatically, giving me a small grin.

"You are Meg, yes?" Sao Feng smiles roguishly at her, "There is more to you than meets the eye, and the eye... does not go wanting." he looks her over as Will struggles at his restraints, "But I cannot help but notice, you have failed to answer my question; what is it you seek at Davy Jones' Locker?"

"Jack Sparrow!" I say, "He is one of the nine Pirate Lords!"

"The only reason I would want Jack Sparrow returned from the land of the dead, is so that I can send him back myself!" Sao Feng kicks at a bucket.

"Jack Sparrow hols one of the nine Pieces of Eight! He failed to pass it along to a successor before he died, so we must go and get him back!" Barbossa whispers dangerously.

"So you admit, you have deceived me!" Sao Feng turns to his men, "Weapons!" immediately, fighters emerge from the bathtubs, glistening and holding swords in their hands.

"Sao Feng, I assure you our intentions are strictly honourable!" Barbossa insists, just as swords sail up through the gaps in the uneven floorboards, and we catch them deftly.

"Drop your weapons!" Sao Feng orders, grabbing a shivering man who is disguised as one of his own, "Or I kill the man!"

"Kill him, he's not our man!" Meg calls.

There is a confused silence while we all look around us.

"If he's not with you, and he's not with us..." Will frowns, voicing what they're all thinking, "Who's he with?"

All Hell breaks loose. East India Company soldiers, borrowed from the British Army, burst into the bath house, wielding bayonets. The fight begins, and I prepare to kill, holding my sword menacingly, though I've never really mastered sword fighting, and I don't want to have to stab anyone.

Meg is in her element, always having more talent than me with the blade. Soon, she and Will are fighting side by side. It's like we're back in the caves at Isla de Muerta... only things were simple then.

I notice Elizabeth sliding into the crowd, heading out of the bath house. What is she doing? Glad for a distraction, I follow her out onto the rats' warren of wharves and jetties that make up Singapore.

"Elizabeth!" I stop her on a quiet jetty. I recognize this place. It is where Will and Barbossa and Meg will eventually come, and where Will will tell us he has acquired a ship and a crew. But at what price? I cling onto Elizabeth's sleeve, looking questioningly at her, trying to read the expression on her sharp-featured face.

"I'm going home, Nim."

"Home? What do you mean? We're going to save Jack!" I say, confused.

"I should never have agreed to come on this venture." she sighs, "There's nothing for me here. I'm no pirate, and this is not my world..." she looks sadly at me, "Not any more." It is unsaid, but I can hear it in her voice; not since you arrived.

"This is your world." I insist, "We need all the help we can get here. You can go home a coward. You can help Lord Beckett and return to your lovely, safe little world, or you can stay and fight... make your mark and stand up for something." I tell her quietly. Not bad for an on-the-spot motivational talk...

"But Will does not want me." she cries, the tears falling down her cheeks, tracking through the dirt.

"Is that all you were? An extension of him? You're a pirate, whether you like it or not. And we need you." I take hold of her hand again, "We mightn't have always got along, but you helped us before, and I respect that. Just come along."

The others have arrived; Barbossa, Meg and Tia Dalma, all looking grave and rustled from the fight. Then Will comes from the opposite direction, pale and troubled. He holds his sword.

"Did you get the charts?" Barbossa demands.

"And better yet; a ship and a crew." Will answers, pointing towards a little junk in the distance, "Sao Feng will cover our escape and meet us at Shipwreck Cove."

We all walk briskly along the jetty. I find myself walking beside Tia Dalma who looks uncertain. It is strange and worrying for a goddess to look like this.

"There's nowhere left for Sao Feng to cower. Do you think he will honour the call?" I ask her.

"I cannot say. There is an evil on these seas that even the most staunch and bloodthirsty pirates have come to fear."

Before I can contemplate the true implications of that, we have reached the ship and I must help the crew make sail. Now, to World's End...


	2. Journey

The cry of gulls and the creaking hull of the ship are all I hear. Glaciers rise up around us in sheer, silver-white peaks, throwing off the sun's white light like prisms, bathing this frozen wasteland in an air of magic.

I sigh to myself and my breath shows on the air in a white cloud, blurring everything but doing nothing to relieve the cold. I'm not the only one suffering; Will sits hunched over the indecipherable charts, ice clinging to his hair and Meg is crouched by the mast, her arms round herself, throwing occasional strange looks at him.

"Meg, what's wrong?" I go to her, sitting on the deck. Above us, the sails creak with rime and a shower of ice falls into my hair from the yard arms, a sparkling white shroud.

"Nothing." she does not convince me.

"Come on, there's definitely something up." I insist. She has not looked this terrible since it looked like Will would choose Elizabeth. That was barely five months ago, but it feels like a lifetime away.

"We know that Will made a deal with Sao Feng back in Singapore." she turns to face me, wide-eyed, "Then why has he not told me?"

I've nothing to say. Advice has never been one of my talents, and she has a point. Why would Will keep something like this from her? I glance at him, still poring over the map, his hands splayed across it.

"These are strange times, Meg." I state grimly, "Just…try to talk to him. I know he loves you."

All this talk has made me even more worried, so I get up and walk away, seeking the silent company of Barbossa and Elizabeth at the helm, their skin frozen into eerie pallor and ice in their hair. Elizabeth looks troubled, so I make sure not to speak to her.

"Barbossa, what does this mean?" Will comes up the steps, carrying the charts open in his arms. Meg follows him.

Barbossa surveys the words on the charts for a moment. I don't need to look to know what it reads; over the edge, over again, sunrise sets, flash of green; the cryptic message intended to lead us to the land of the dead. I am chilled by something other than the wind.

"Ever gazed upon the green flash, Master Gibbs?" Barbossa finally asks Gibbs, who stands at the stern, lost in thought.

"I've seen my fair share." he continues when we all look confused, "On rare occasions, at sunset, a green flash shoots up into the sky. Some go their whole lives without seeing it, some claim to have seen it who ain't, and some…"

"Some say it signals when a soul comes back to this world… from the dead!" Pintel interrupts emphatically.

"See, Turner," Barbossa looks at Will, "It isn't getting to the land of the dead that's the problem… it's getting back."

Our ship ploughs on, passing between two glaciers so tall that they meet in the middle, a tunnel of glimmering ice. They don't know what lies ahead, but for a moment, the whole crew is happy to be dazzled by its beauty. Meg, however, never takes her eyes off Will, and I wonder how much she regrets her decision to stay in this world, or whether it was ever a conscious decision at all…


	3. Locker

I come to and realize I'm in the sea, cold water surrounding me. Taking a determined breath, I swim after my friends and crew mates who all seem to be headed for a strip of beach nearby.

Upon the sand, there seem to be the wrecks of a thousand ships, jutting up from the beach like scars. I kneel among them, catching my breath and trying to clear my throat of salty water. The atmosphere is strangely silent here, and the air feels heavy, eternally promising a storm.

"I don't see Jack." Elizabeth stands beside me, squinting up at the sand dunes, "I don't see anyone."

Tia Dalma stands beside Barbossa, a little crab in her hand and more gathered on the ground around her. She smiles and strokes the crab.

"Witty Jack is closer than you think."

I suppose I expect it, but still, when I see the hulking hull of the Black Pearl emerge over the dunes, the skeletal black masts seeming taller than ever, my heart jumps. There is also the matter of Jack Sparrow, who stands in the crow's nest, staring out to the horizon as if he cannot see his small, bedraggled audience.

When he comes ashore, my first instinct is to run at him, but something stops me. He walks to Gibbs first.

"Mr. Gibbs! There has been a perpetual and virulent lack of discipline aboard my vessel. Why? Why is that, sir?" he demands.

"You're… you're in the Locker, Captain." Gibbs answers uneasily.

"No, I'm not." Jack snaps.

"Jack Sparrow!" Barbossa steps forward.

"Ah, Hector! Long time, no see." Jack grins madly.

"Isla de Muerta, remember? You shot me." mutinous Barbossa sounds slightly resentful.

"No, I didn't." Jack denies, turning to Tia Dalma, "Ah, Tia Dalma! You add an agreeable sense of the macabre to any delirium."

"He thinks we're a hallucination." Will mutters.

"William, tell me something; have you come to ask for me help in saving a certain distressing damsel… or rather damsel in distress. Either one?"

"No," Will replies.

"Well, then you wouldn't be here! So you can't be here! Q.E.D., you're not really here!"

"Jack?" I finally speak up. He turns slowly to see me, shock registering on his face, "This is real. We're here."

He looks at me, momentarily sad, but he turns back to Gibbs.

"The Locker, you say?"

Soon, we will be back on the familiar Black Pearl and sailing into new, exciting adventures, together again at last. So why do I feel like Captain Jack Sparrow is not the same man I remember?

Meg sits alone in the hold of the Pearl, on the steps, her arms wrapped round her knees and a singles tear coursing down her cheek. She should find comfort in the ship, with its black sails and the cabin she has come to consider an odd kind of home in recent months, but uncertainty blooms in her mind; with it, regret. Why did she stay here? Why did she ever believe Will could love her as much as he loved Elizabeth? He is keeping things from her.

"Meg?" he comes down the steps and stands before her, among barrels of gunpowder and rum. Why, even in such grim circumstances, can his questioning face still bring butterflies to her stomach? She turns away, "Meg, how long will we continue not talking?"

"Surely you're the one not talking." she answers softly, still not daring to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I know…" she finds her voice shaky, "…about your deal with Sao Feng."

He is suddenly silent, his mouth hanging open as if he meant to reply, but lost his words.

"It was my burden to bear." he says finally.

"How can I trust you if you make your choices alone?" she stands up and looks at him, getting angrier by the second.

"Meg, my father…" he pleads, "You understand why I did it?"

"Yes!" she cries, "I just don't understand why you don't trust me!" she runs up the stairs, onto the deck, away from him.

He is left alone in the darkened hold, wondering how he can possibly save his father's soul and hang onto the one soul he truly needs in this life. Little does he know that his destiny lies shaken out before him, clear and certain as a pattern in the stars, just waiting for him to fulfill it.


	4. The Other Boats

Night falls on the land of the dead, and still Jack has not spoken to me. I find him at the helm, facing the front of the ship, not turning to see me. Suddenly the night feels cold, raises goose bumps on my arms, surrounds me like despair. I want to talk to him, but I can't find my voice.

"Jack?" I croak eventually, wondering why this is the time for me to sound like Kermit the frog.

He finally turns round and looks sadly at me. I expected his anger, but not this. He looks positively haunted. His eyes are black, "I... you know why I had to leave you to the Kraken, don't you?"

"Yes." he says quietly, "I understand. It's just... I had the strangest dream about you when it ate me." he visibly shivers.

"Yes?" I'm nervous. What could it be? Could it be any worse than what I've already done to him?

"It's like... you were a witch or something. All this light flared around us and you chained me to the ship." he looks at me again, "It was a dream. Just a dream, eh?"

I feel sick. He is describing the odd magical phenomenon that occurred just as I was about to leave him to the Kraken. I look down at my hands, pale and perfectly normal in the darkness. There is nothing unusual, no magic flowing through me fast as the tide, no light flaring round us.

"Yes." I finally manage, "Just a dream."

He beckons me towards him and hugs me, and I remember what made me come to find him. Just the warmth is enough to reassure me, tell me I am right to lie to him. At least this way, we can just fight the battle. I am no witch. I only pray that nothing magical ever happens to me again.

Just as he returns to the helm, one arm still loosely wrapped round my own, we notice that everyone has gathered on the starboard side of the ship and are looking out at something on the water. I follow their gaze and notice with horror the small boats and their little lanterns, set adrift, bearing their passengers... or at least their souls.

We join the rest of the crew. One of the nearest boats contains an old, bewigged gentleman in a fine coat. I would recognize him anywhere; Governor Swann.

"It's my father! We've made it back!" Elizabeth exclaims, smiling and waving out at her father, "Father!"

"Elizabeth, we're not back." Meg intones quietly, and we exchange a look.

She takes no notice of us, going to fetch a rope.

"Hurry! Help me haul him aboard!" she runs to the stern of the ship.

"She must not leave the ship!" Tia Dalma calls, and we all rush after her.

"Elizabeth? Are you dead?" Swann looks up and sees her. It near breaks my heart seeing his glazed-over expression, naught but an illusion. He is not the person we see, just a soul.

"No... no." she shakes her head, still staring at him.

"I think I am." he states simply.

"You can't be!" she cries, and the first tear falls down her face.

"There's this chest you see. It's hard. At the time it seemed so important." he looks bewildered, "And the heart... I learned that if you stab the heart, yours must take its place. The Dutchman must have a captain. Silly thing to die for..." he trails off.

I notice Tia Dalma turning to Will and looking meaningfully at him.

"A touch of destiny." she whispers. My blood runs cold.

"Come aboard! Grab the rope!" she throws a rope out to him, but he does not seem to see it.

"I'm so proud of you, Elizabeth." he calls. She crumples, her eyes wild with disbelief.

"No!" she breathes, "I won't leave you!"

"I'll give your love to your mother, shall I?" and then he is gone, sailing into the distance to become the night's eyes, little more than a haunt. It strikes me; he sold his soul to Beckett in order to save her life, way back during Dead Man's Chest, but still here he is, with the others, on a safe current that will lead him to the Other Side. We can be comforted by that, at least.

"I won't let you die!" she cries out. Will grabs her, crushing her arms to her sides and letting her sob into his shoulder. I look at Meg, who just looks away. Not a single face in the crowd is unmarked by what has just happened. I find that I, too, am crying.

Eventually, she pushes Will away and the crew drift back to their stations, uncomfortable. Soon, only Elizabeth and I are left on the deck, Meg and Will having gone below and Jack having returned to the helm.

"Elizabeth?" I ask, and she looks up at me, blinded by tears.

"I will, Nim." I'm surprised that her voice is strangely steady.

"You will what?"

"I will..." she takes a deep, shaking breath, "...I will fight with you. I will help destroy Beckett... like he destroyed my father. We will avenge his death... and we will set the seas free." she attempts a weak smile.

"That is truly... good." I can't say anything else. I hug her and take her below, where we can get rum.

We spend the night in Jack's grand cabin; Jack, Will, Elizabeth, Barbossa, Meg and I. We drink rum and talk about times past, 'til the troubles that face us are nothing more than a distant hum, pressing against the protective bubble we've drunk ourselves into. When we finally go outside onto the deck, he sun is coming up and we're ready to get out of this realm, no matter what it takes.


	5. Up Is Down

It is nearing the second and final sunset that I will see in the Land of the Dead, where the doldrums have held us captive for near two days. The sky is orange, raining shimmers of gold to the waves and making us glow in its fiery light like fallen angels. Since making up with Jack, I've felt strangely peaceful. He is beside me now, looking at the charts. I could be a very evil, heartless girl and kiss him now, but he needs to concentrate on deciphering the message I already know.

"Up is down?" he mutters. I yawn to myself, basking in the sun's warmth. I suppose in a few minutes, I will have to get up and run back and forth across the ship, but for now, my head is resting lightly against his leg as he sits on a barrel and I sit on the deck, and I am calm. If only the same could be said for Meg.

"Will?" she finds him on the forecastle, leaning on the rail and staring out to sea. When he turns to face her, she can't help but notice the hope in his eyes, "I'm…I'm sorry. You were right about before. I shouldn't have snapped."

"You were right." he sighs, "I can trust you, and I don't know why I didn't tell you." he kisses her forehead, "No more secrets."

"Thank you," she smiles as he loops his arm round her shoulders and leads her to where Jack is running back and forth with Nim. She wonders what Will would say if he knew the secrets she keeps; the secrets of his future, of his very existence. Would he run and hide? Still, things are back to the way they should be, and she won't let anything ruin it… yet.

"What's that?" I shout as we run to one side, then the other. It's strangely fun, as if I'm releasing all the madness I haven't expressed in ages.

We're joined by Elizabeth, and then by Will and Meg. Gradually, I feel the ship begin to rock, and running up becomes more difficult. Finally, Barbossa catches on and runs with us, along with the rest of the crew.

Now, we're running hard across the deck and clinging to the railing as it pitches and rolls. Gibbs cuts loose the barrels in the hold before coming up to help us. Even the unshakeable Tia Dalma is running, as the sun dips low on the horizon, bleeding into the sky and the Pearl gets closer to capsizing.

I reach for the rail for what seems like the millionth time, my breath coming in shallow, ragged bursts, and find my feet pulled out from the now-vertical deck. The shouts around me tell me that the rest of the crew is experiencing the same sensation. My nails dig into the wood and I feel as though my arms will break as we roll towards the water, dangerously close.

"Breathe in!" Jack calls to us, and I do, remembering vaguely a technique from my singing teacher. The memory, so out of place, makes me laugh, so I'm forced to grab a lungful of air just before we plunge into the water, the ship floating belly-up above us.

It feels like an age before a flash of green surrounds us, and the ship begins to fall… no, rise! The whoosh makes me lose all sense of balance, and when we finally break the surface, I feel like I've just come through a washing machine. I cough and splutter on the deck as the Pearl bobs like a cork and my crew mates get their bearings.

When I can finally get to my feet, Meg and I go to the railing, half-staggering and falling. Across a blue sky that assaults my eyes with its brilliance, the sun is rising, stretching above the horizon, blinking the night away in shards of light that spread out on the sea.

"It's sunrise." Meg smiles at me.

"I know." I smile back. I've never been so happy to see the start of a new day, in a world where I'm fast coming to accept that logic is but another illusion we create. You may call me foolish, and say that it's the calm before a terrible storm, but I am content to be with my friend, watching the sun rise on a day alive with hope.


	6. A Sad Commentary

Of course, in this world of pirates, peace can reign for all of five seconds, which is just about the time it takes for Barbossa to draw his pistol on Jack. Meg and I watch with delight as Jack draws his.

"Now, the Brethren Court's a-gathering at Shipwreck Cove, and, Jack, you and I are a-going, and there will be no arguing that point!" Barbossa says fiercely.

"I is arguing the point." Jack returns, "If there are pirates gathering, I'm pointing my ship the other way."

"The pirates are gathering to fight Beckett, and you're a pirate!" Elizabeth points her pistol at Jack.

"Fight or not, you're not running, Jack." Will agrees.

"If we don't stand together, they'll hunt us down, one by one, 'til there are none left, but you." Barbossa mocks him.

"I like the sound of that – Captain Jack Sparrow; the last pirate." Jack smirks.

"So you'll be fighting Jones alone. How does that figure in your plan?"

"I'm working on it." Jack snaps, "But I won't be going back to the Locker, you can count on that." he shoots at Barbossa, only to find that his powder is wet and his pistol is useless.

We go ashore on a little island, where Will insists there is a fresh water supply. On the beach lies the once-majestic Kraken, dead and corrupting on the sand as if it never struck fear into the hearts of sailors everywhere. Beckett no longer needs this monster to scare people away from the sea.

"Still thinking of running, Jack? Think you can outrun the world?" Barbossa catches up with Jack and I as we stand, staring at the Kraken, "You know the problem with being the last of anything is that, by and by, there'll be none left at all."

"Some things come back, mate. We're living proof, you and me."

"Aye, but that's a gamble of long odds, ain't it? There's never a guarantee of coming back, but passing on; that's dead certain." Barbossa says wisely. I remember how much I liked this scene when I used to watch it, and think how much it saddens me now.

"Summoning the Brethren Court, then, is it?" Jack asks sadly.

"It's our only hope, lad."

"That's a sad commentary in and of itself."

"The world used to be a bigger place." Barbossa agrees.

"The world's still the same. There's just… less in it." with that he turns and walks down the beach, leaving me alone.

I'm not sure what to do. Should I go after him? Should I wait here 'til he's cheered up? I wonder whether he includes me at all any more, or whether his need for immortality is so strong that I don't matter; an unnecessary reminder of his life before death. In the end, I'm not strong enough to stay away. I find him in the jungle, near the spring which is fouled by the body of one of Sao Feng's men. We stand away from the others.

"Jack, is there really less in the world?" I ask in a small voice, trying to contain my anger.

"You weren't what I was talking about." he answers sullenly, "Beckett… the time for piracy is nearing an end, love, and all I seem to be doing is fighting off the inevitable."

"It won't be like that forever." I know how it ends. I take his hands, "Last battle, eh?"

"There's still one fight left to be fought, even when Beckett's dead." he adds softly, "When this is over, how can I make you stay?"

How can that one question make me lose all sense of reason? I suppose it's because I can't answer it, not yet anyway. The pull of my own world, however weak, is still there. Can I really give up my whole world? Meg did it, and lately she has seemed so down. Is this all an illusion, something bright and colorful to amuse me, but not to shelter me forever?

I stride wordlessly back to the beach, trying to ignore the tears I can't keep from coming. Out in the distance, I see the outline of the Empress, Sao Feng's ship, and the Endeavour, Beckett's galleon.

"Everyone! We've company!" I call. The whole crew comes out to the beach. It is time to enter the fray, and I am hardly ready, for all I can think of it what will happen on the other side of it.


	7. Motives

**Hi! Sorry for the delay. Keep reading and please review if you do, just because it's polite. :D**

We're surrounded by Sao Feng's men, who cheer triumphantly as Meg, Elizabeth and I are shackled and held in the middle of them all, away from Barbossa, Jack and the rest of our crew. Will is nowhere to be seen.

"Jack Sparrow, you paid me great insult once." Sao Feng addresses Jack with a cordial smile, but his eyes glitter with malice.

"That doesn't sound like me!" Jack answers, and gets punched for it. He looks up at Sao Feng.

"There is an old friend who wants to see you." Sao Feng points over to the Endeavour which floats in the distance, white sails billowing.

"I don't think I can survive any more visits from old friends." Jack sighs, but he is dragged over to a little rowing boat. I wonder when I will see him again, and I wish the treacherous pirates would let me say goodbye.

Will emerges from below, an angry look on his face.

"Release them! They're not part of the bargain!" he gestures to Meg, Elizabeth and I.

"And what bargain be that?" Barbossa and the crew look confused. I look to Meg, who keeps her eyes on the floor, her expression slightly ashamed.

"You heard Captain Turner. Release them!" Sao Feng keeps his smile as there is an outburst of shock from our crew, and we girls are allowed to return to Barbossa's side.

"Captain Turner?" Barbossa growls.

"That perfidious rotter led a mutiny against us!" Gibbs shouts, looking daggers at Will, who appears untroubled.

"I need the Black Pearl to free my father. That's the only reason I came on this voyage." he explains.

Just then, luckily for Will who looks as though he is about to be murdered by the crew, Mercer arrives with East India Company men. The half deck is getting rather crowded.

"My men are crew enough." Sao Feng tells Mercer.

"Company ship, Company crew." Mercer answers gruffly.

"You agreed! The Black Pearl was to be mine!" Will jumps in, now looking defeated. His plan has gone wrong.

"And so it was." Sao Feng smiles.

Will is shackled and taken to the back of the ship. Meg looks as if she is about to follow, so I take her hand in mine. These pirates would kill her if she were to move.

"Beckett agreed. The Black Pearl was to be mine." Sao Feng speaks to Mercer in a low voice, and I can detect a hint of worry. His double-crossing has failed.

"Lord Beckett isn't going to give up the only ship that can outrun the Dutchman, is he?" is the only reply.

"Shame they're not bound to honour the Code of the Brethren, isn't it? Because honour's a hard thing to come by nowadays..." Barbossa steps in as Mercer walks away.

"There is no honour in remaining with the losing side. Leaving it for the winning side is just good business." the Chinese Pirate Lord snaps. He is irritable in defeat.

"The losing side?" Barbossa cackles.

"They have the Dutchman... now the Pearl! What do the Brethren have?"

"We have... Calypso."

"Calypso? An old legend!" Sao Feng laughs.

"No, the Sea Goddess herself, bound in human form. I intend to release her, but for that I need the Court..." Barbossa leans in close and picks up Sao Feng's necklace, his Piece of Eight, "...all the Court."

Sao Feng's eyes drift towards Meg, Elizabeth and I, a look of realization dawning on his face. He replaces his smile.

"What are you proposing, Captain?"

"What be ye accepting, Cap'n?" Barbossa returns the grin.

"The girls."

"What?" we chorus, although Meg and I know what is going on here. He will take us, thinking one of us to be Calypso.

"Meg is not part of any bargain!" Will calls from the grip of his captors.

"Absolutely... out of the question." Barbossa is unconvincing.

"It was not a question..." Sao Feng looks on determinedly. Barbossa has been successful in planting the idea in his mind that one of us is Calypso, the sea goddess herself. He has won this round, but now we are to be taken on board the Empress and I will not see Jack until we reach Shipwreck Cove. It doesn't exactly bother me, but I don't really want to be alone with only Meg and Elizabeth is what is clearly a very unstable world. There seems to be a fight, a betrayal, every way I turn.

"Then... do we have an accord?" Barbossa says calmly.

Sao Feng says nothing, but leads us off into a rowing boat. Barbossa, and soon Jack (once he escapes Beckett's office with the help of a cannon), can get away with the Black Pearl, as Sao Feng gets to keep us. It was a good bargain for them really.

As we head to the Empress, I look back at the Pearl and hope I can survive in this place long enough to see it again...


	8. A New Calypso

After so long on the shabby Black Pearl, the sumptuous luxury of the Empress' grand cabin is quite a shock. Elizabeth, Meg and I have been locked in here all day, and as we see the sun dipping towards the horizon outside and the sky and sea turning the dusky blue of twilight from the wide stern windows, restlessness sets in.

"What is he waiting for?" Meg asks irritably. She sits on the well-cushioned window seat.

"He could at least bring us something to drink." Elizabeth agrees from her perch on a red velvet chaise longue.

"We must convince him that one of us is Calypso." I tell them both. Meg contacts me with her thoughts, one of the only powers left to us; it has to be you. Jack is more likely to vote you as King once we get to Shipwreck Cove. I nod slightly, "You leave that to me."

Finally, we're joined by two women. They are Sao Feng's maids, and they carry a pile of richly-colored clothes. We watch them warily as they put the clothes down and hold up long ivory combs, beckoning us towards them. We don't move and eventually they go for Meg, pulling her out of her seat.

"Unhand me!" she shrieks indignantly.

"Meg, they're just getting us ready for Sao Feng!" I tell her, realizing.

Sure enough, the maids parrot away to each other in a language I don't recognize while combing through Meg's hair. It's almost funny. They pour strange, sweet-smelling water into her hair and hand her some clothes.

Elizabeth is grabbed next and she is silent while they pull at her hair. I wonder how they will get through mine, which is horribly tangled and full of twigs and leaves from our trip into the jungle.

However, they eventually comb my hair until it falls in miraculously soft waves. The water must be some sort of eighteenth century conditioner. The clothes are intricately-patterned silk dresses with velvet coats, covered in beads. I am in red, Elizabeth in blue and Meg in green. I feel less scruffy than I have in ages, but the beaded hat makes me feel stupid.

Sao Feng enters, coldly dismissing the maids, but turning to us with a sly smile.

"Good evening, ladies." he speaks like a gentleman, but smirks like a pirate, bowing slowly. We follow his lead, "One of you is the Sea Goddess, Calypso. I will need to know which." his voice is dangerously low.

Meg and Elizabeth both look at me. Meg pokes me in the ribs. I am happy to let him work it out himself, but they clearly have other ideas.

"Ow!" I announce, looking like a very klutzy goddess as I stumble forward, wearing what I hope is a winning smile.

"Well, then…" he bows even lower this time, "this time tomorrow, we will arrive at Shipwreck Cove, and you will be free, Calypso."

"Me?" I ask in mock-confusion.

"You confirm it."

"Confirm what? You've told me nothing." I follow Elizabeth's lines.

"Not a name you fancy, I imagine, out of the many that you have… but it is what we call you." he whispers.

"We being who?"

"The first Brethren Court, whose position I would have opposed!" he feigns anger, "But once such as you should never be anything less than what you are." he finishes, now so close that I can smell his foul breath.

"Pretty speech from a captor, but words whispered through prison bars lose their charm." I reply, enjoying this. It's like we're playacting, a sudden relief from all the severity.

"Can you blame me for my efforts?" he asks, "All men are drawn to the sea, perilous though it may be."

"And some men offer desire as justification for their crimes." I look to Meg and Elizabeth. They are standing by him, in the path of the cannonball that will tear through the cabin in a moment. I try to warn Meg; Move back! You'll get hit!

"I offer simply my desire." he purrs. Meg nods and pulls Elizabeth two paces back, far enough away.

"And in return?"

"I would have you gifts, should you choose to give them." his words send a shudder through me.

"And if I should choose not?"

"Then I shall take… your fury." he goes to kiss me, but I shove him back hard. He stands there, his expression furious for a second before the shot breaks the night and the cannonball rips through the side of the cabin, knocking him down and impaling him on a piece of wood. Carefully, we go to him.

"Go in my place… to Shipwreck Cove." he wheezes, the life leaving him fast, "You are captain now." he hands me his Piece of Eight, fastening it round my neck, where it joins Calypso's locket.

"Me?" I whisper.

"You will be free." he pulls me down to him, "Forgive me, Calypso." his eyes close and I am released.

The Dutchman is attacking the ship of which I am now captain, and Tai Huang is standing at the door, a look of confusion on his face.

"What did he tell you?" he asks me.

"He made me Captain." I reply. He leaves in disgust, and I am left with Meg and Elizabeth. We exchange glances before heading out on deck. I'm now a Pirate Lord, and I'm about to meet Davy Jones for a second time.


	9. Part Of The Ship

Up on deck, a crowd is forming. The crew of the Empress is surrounded by Davy Jones' grim guard, and we are pushed in with them. In all the commotion, I almost don't hear the cry of;

"Elizabeth!" It's Norrington. He pushes towards us and looks at her, surprised to see her and even more surprised to see Meg and me. I notice that Elizabeth does nothing when he hugs her, "I'm so glad you're alive. Your father will be overjoyed to know you're safe!"

"My father is dead." she says, the resentment obvious in her voice.

"It… he can't be. He returned to England." Norrington insists.

"Did Lord Beckett tell you that?" she asks coldly. My heart aches when I see him realize.

There is more trouble yet. Davy Jones' claw-foot announces his arrival long before I see his vile face. He pushes aside crewmen and his own doomed guard.

"Who among you do you name as captain?" he barks to Tai Huang and his men. They all point accusingly at me. There's loyalty for you…

Jones turns to me and shock registers in his beady little eyes. I try not to falter under his gaze. "Captain, you? Sparrow's wench, am I right?"

"My name is Nim." I answer coldly, though I'm visibly shaking.

"Put the prisoners in the brig. These ladies shall have my quarters." Norrington buts in, speaking to Jones with the utmost disdain.

"Thank you, sir, but we would prefer to remain with our crew." Elizabeth speaks for us, and we're taken into the brig.

"Bootstrap?" Meg calls through the bars until he finally emerges, peeling himself from the wall like a great barnacle. His eyes are cloudy as a half-forgotten dream and it's clear he is not himself.

"You know my name?" he sys hoarsely.

"Yes, I know your son." Meg's voice cracks. I can tell she misses Will, especially as we don't know whether we'll live much longer.

"William! He's coming for me! He promised." Bootstrap looks into the distance, remembering something, but the he melts back into the wall.

"Bootstrap?" Meg's voice is a whisper.

"You know my name!"

"Yes, I know your son." she cries, "He is trying to save you."

"I know you. He spoke of you." Bootstrap looks eerily into her eyes, "You're Meg."

"Yes, I'm Meg."

"But if Jones be slain, he who slays him must take his place; captain of the Flying Dutchman forever." he smiles sadly, "He won't pick me. I wouldn't pick me."

Meg nods silently. This is the first time we've really been forced to think on Will Turner's future, and his destiny.

"Tell him not to come. It's too late. I'm already a part of the ship… a part of the crew." he fades away once more, and we're left alone.

Meg cries and I hug her. As evening fades into night and she can no longer cry, I wonder how we will continue to fight when everything is against us.


	10. Destinies Entwined

The stinking, half-decayed brig of the Dutchman seems to grow smaller as the night wears on, the anemic lantern light illuminating the sharp planes of Elizabeth's face, the fear in Meg's eyes and the grim expressions of Tai Huang and his men. I am tired, exhausted in fact, but there is no chance I will risk lying down on the damp floor, surrounded by filthy pirates who I have already had to warn off with my pistol.

My mind wanders to Jack. Where might he be? On the Pearl, bound for Shipwreck Cove obviously, but is he thinking of me? Does he see me as he lies in his now-lonely cabin? At least I am sure now that he has forgiven me for leaving him to the Kraken.

And what of Meg? How will she face up to the battle, in which it is Will's destiny to die and be reborn as captain of this dreadful ship? How will I be able to leave her and return to my world?

Somewhere in the gloom outside our cell, someone comes down the stairs, coming into the pool of lantern light. It is Norrington. His face is determined and he holds keys in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Elizabeth asks sharply.

"Choosing a side." he replies, glancing at me briefly. If I had even the tiniest amount of magic left to me, I would save his life. Still, I am powerless, just like him. I pass him without a word or a glance, trying desperately not to cry.

The night air is a blessing on my sweat-drenched skin, washing away the brig's smell of death and despair. I swallow great, greedy gulps of it as we edge along the ship to the very stern, where the rope attaching us to the Empress is tied in an impressive knot. Norrington, a lie in his fine Admiral's uniform, helps the crew climb up to the rope and inch along it, dangling precariously over the void of black, churning water in a desperate bid to reach their own ship and their freedom. Soon, only Elizabeth, Meg and I remain.

"I knew nothing of your father's death." he tells her, regret sincere in his eyes. I must do something about this man… I can't let him die, "But that does not absolve me of my other sins."

"Come with us." Elizabeth softens, "James, come with me." On the deck above, Bootstrap Bill leans over and sees us.

"Do not go to Shipwreck Cove. Beckett knows of the meeting of the Brethren. I fear there is a traitor among them." he takes her hands in his, "You go, I will follow."

"You're lying." she says. Only a few more seconds; our last hope, last chance.

"Our destinies have been entwined, Elizabeth, but never joined." he kisses her sweetly on the lips, "Now go!"

I help him help Elizabeth and Meg up onto the rope, and then he turns expectantly to me, only to find my gun pointed directly at his head.

"Nim, what are you doing?" he asks, panicked.

"Saving your bloody life!" I hiss, "I don't believe in destiny. Now get on the sodding rope."

"No!" he is stubborn.

"No one leaves the ship." Bootstrap is on us now. _Stupid, slow Norrie!_

"James!" Elizabeth calls back. He grimaces and shoots the rope. But not before Bootstrap, in his half-mad state, can lunge at me. Everything happens at once; a gunshot is heard, but it comes from my pistol, my arm knocked by Bootstrap so my bullet finds another mark, just as Norrington shoots the rope. The watery cry I hear is Meg's. I've shot her.

"Meg!" I shriek, and with my last strength, I throw off Bootstrap, shove Norrington off the ship and jump overboard myself.

The water that breaks my fall is freezing, but as I swim out towards where she fell, I hear myself repeating something; please, please, please over and over, like a mantra, until my voice is raw with tears and desperation, my arm finds hers and the water closes over me like a shroud, drowning out everything.

**Cliffhanger chapter ending... please review. More later if you review like lovely readers. :P**


	11. Surviving

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I feel strong hands grip me under my arms and pull me upwards hard. I feel my grip on her arm and tighten it. I feel someone loosening my hold on her with quick fingers, and as my brain screams for oxygen, in my mind I am shouting; don't let her go!

When my head clears the water and I can breathe again, I daren't open my eyes for fear of what I may see. Even when I am lowered onto a hard surface and my corset laces are undone, forcing me to cough water onto the floor, I won't open them.

"Nim? Nim! Come on, we need your help!" Elizabeth's voice echoes in my ears.

"Come along, Nim. Meg needs you to help me." Norrington tries. Meg. She must be alive then, I realize. Once that fact is secure in my water-logged brain, I finally open my eyes. Above me, Norrington and Elizabeth are leaning over me, and above them is only the sky, patchy with cloud and stars.

He forces me to my feet and helps me into the sumptuous grand cabin we were in only hours ago. There Meg lies, on the chaise, the red flower of blood spreading across the green silk of her dress, all across one shoulder. Her eyes are closed tight against the pain.

"I'll get some rum." Elizabeth leaves us to find the pain-numbing drink, while Norrington produces a pair of small metal tongs from a drawer. He offers me something, and when I look dizzily into my palm, I see a needle and thread.

"You want me to stitch her up?" my throat is roar with every word and I am still shaking, my heart racing.

"Yes, once I've removed the bullet." he looks at the wound and Meg moans in weak protest, but Elizabeth is back with the rum and the former-admiral looks even more determined, "Nim, give her this and something to bite on."

How very eighteenth century! Get her drunk and shove a piece of wood in her mouth… that'll work. Everything that's happened tonight collides in a high, maniacal laugh that I barely recognize as my own. As the others look worriedly at me, I grimly pour the rum into Meg's mouth, until her eyes, once sharp with pain, grow hazy with alcohol.

"Right, you need to bite this." I place one of the wooden sticks used to hold my hair up between her teeth. My hair falls to my waist in a soggy cloak, making me shiver even more.

I hold her hand tightly as Norrington approaches her with the tongs. Her hand grips mine and a moan escapes her mouth as he works, but then she is unconscious.

"You need to get her conscious again!" I call once the bullet is out and I can begin stitching her up. Luckily, the wound is deep but small and it only takes four stitches. I try to be steady-handed as possible, thinking back to when I stitched Jack in the cabin of the Black Pearl under the watchful eye of Anamaria. My hands are wet and shaking, but soon her shoulder looks relatively normal.

"Norrington… James, we need to put on some dry clothes." I tell him quietly.

"Yes, of course." he exits and I'm free to hunt about in Sao Feng's cupboards until I find a long black skirt. It might be a cloak, but I don't care. It fits and fastens like a skirt. I put on the shirt I was wearing before we were forced into dresses, my wet corset over the top and my gun belt slung round my hips. In this world, I can never tell when I will need it.

Elizabeth changes too, and we help Meg into dry clothes; a long brown skirt belonging to one of the maids, a shirt and corset. Then, we let her rest, extinguishing the candles in a sudden, ordinary act becoming a defense against the abnormal, frightening circumstances.

Long after I assume Meg and Elizabeth are asleep, I try to sleep myself, curling up on the window seat and trying not to cry. I've made such an awful mess of things; shooting my friend, changing the story.

"Nim?" Meg's voice comes through the dark, hoarse and quiet, "What will I do about Will's destiny? Can it be changed?"

"I… I don't know." I whisper back, "Can we talk in the morning?"

And with that, her breathing settles back into regulation. I am left alone with my thoughts and the conclusion that, whatever century it is, I am doomed to keep messing up until everything and everyone around me is destroyed.


	12. The Brethren Court

Shipwreck Cove is a strange-shaped mass of wrecks with flickering lights at the portholes inviting in any wayward pirates. It is hard to believe that this is the fortress of the Brethren.

The odd city is eerily silent when the Empress docks in the harbor and we can go ashore.

"The meeting has already begun." I tell Meg, Elizabeth and Norrington as a pair of pirate guards directs us into a cavernous meeting hall. I suspect that this room was once the hold of a great ship, but now it is filled with pirates, their clothes in varying states of disrepair. One pirate in particular is holding the floor, talking loudly with everyone listening, looks of suspicion on their faces. His back is to me.

"We're short one Pirate Lord, and I'm content as a cucumber to wait until Sao Feng joins us."

"Sao Feng is dead. He fell to the Flying Dutchman." I walk into the room, stabbing my sword into the globe like all the other Pirate Lords have.

"And made you captain?" Jack looks impressed, "he must've had some sense after all."

"Hello, Jack." I laugh.

"Hello, love." he notices Norrington, "What's he doing here?"

"I've chosen my side, Jack, and I would like to fight alongside the Brethren."

"Finally seen the light, have you?" Jack grabs his pistol.

"No Jack! He saved our lives!" Meg calls. Jack looks at her bandaged shoulder questioningly.

"Excuse me? There's a meeting here, in case you didn't notice." Barbossa growls at us, and Jack makes room for us at his end of the table.

"Listen to me!" Elizabeth shouts over the din that has erupted, "We've been betrayed! Jones is under the command of Lord Beckett. They're on their way here!"

"Who is this betrayer?" Gentleman Jocard asks in his deep, booming voice.

"Not likely anyone among us," Jack looks at him.

"Where's Will?" Meg asks, laughing inappropriately.

"Not among us." Jack answers.

"It matters not how they found us, but what we will do now that they have." Barbossa snaps and there is a murmur of assent from the crowd.

"We fight!" I am getting nervous. Speaking in front of a congregation of Pirate Lords is a lot like giving a speech in class, except I can see the weapons glinting at their belts. They start to laugh.

"Shipwreck Cove is a fortress! A well-supplied fortress. There is no need to fight if they cannot get to us." the only other female Pirate Lord, Mistress Ching, says calmly.

"There be a third course." Barbossa begins, and they all fall silent, "In another age, at this very spot, the Brethren Court captured the Sea Goddess and bound her in her bones. That was a mistake. Sure, we tamed the seas for ourselves, but we opened the door to Beckett and his ilk! Better were the days when mastery of seas came not from bargains struck with eldritch creatures, but from the sweat of a man's brow and the strength of his back alone! Y'all know this to be true! Gentlemen, ladies, we must free Calypso."

The Pirate Lords break into an argument, which soon turns to full-on fighting. Bottles are broken and a Pirate Lord or two go skidding across the table.

"This is madness!" Elizabeth exclaims.

"This is politics." Jack and I say together. My need to scream this… is… SPARTA!! is almost overpowering.

"Meanwhile our enemies are bearing down upon us…" Meg sighs.

"If they not be here already." Barbossa is grim. The pirates keep fighting, oblivious.

"I do not love you." In the brig of the Pearl, two figures stand on either side of the bars, close but far apart. It is Davy Jones speaking coldly to his Calypso.

"Many things you were, Davy Jones, but never cruel. You have corrupted your purpose, and so yourself, and you did hide away what should always have been mine." she reaches a hand through the bars and lays it on his chest. He changes then, for only a minute, becoming a shadow of his former self. The tentacles recede, becoming a beard, and he strokes her cheek with his now-human hand. As she removes hers, though, he is a monster once more and his claw grabs her neck, "Why did you come?" Tia Dalma, Calypso, looks terrified.

He lets go slowly and tries to remove his hand from the bars. It will not fit, so with a roar, he dissolves his whole body through the bars so he stands opposite her.

"I will be free," she tells him. It is almost a warning, "And when I am, I will give you my heart. If only you had a heart to give…" she turns from him.

"And what fate have you planned for your captors?" he asks quietly.

"The Brethren Court? The last thing they will learn in this life is how cruel I can be" she smiles wickedly and he sighs, "And what of your fate, Davy Jones?"

"My heart will always belong to you." he turns and leaves through the side of the ship, gone from her completely. They will not meet again. We are all bound somehow; by duty and sorrow, by truth and lies, but as Tia Dalma contemplates her freedom, she knows that she cannot be bound to him, and he must learn to accept that.


	13. A Pirate King

**Here's another chapter, lovelies. Please keep reviewing. Thanks to every single win person who has reviewed so far. Any other readers, shame on you!**

"Well, what do you propose?" I know that Barbossa is getting desperate, because he demands Jack's opinion.

"Cuttlefish," Jack says cheerfully, wandering off around the table, "Let us not, dear friends, forget our dear friends the cuttlefish. Pent them up together, and they'll devour each other without a second's thought. It's human nature… or, fish nature. So we can hole up here, well-provisioned and well-armed, and half of us will be dead within the month, which seems quite grim to me, any way you slice it." he adopts a sad expression. Meg and I are laughing behind our hands, "Or, as my learned colleague so naively suggests, we can free Calypso, and we can pray she will be merciful; I rather doubt it. Can we pretend that she is anything other than a woman scorned, like which fury Hell hath no? We cannot! Therefore, I agree with… surprisingly… Captain Nim. We must fight!"

"You've always run away from a fight!" Barbossa growls.

"Have not!"

"You have so!"

"Have not!" it goes back and forward, with the rest of us watching it like a tennis match, until Barbossa finally shouts;

"You have so and you know it!"

"Have not, slander and calumny!" Jack retorts, "I have only embraced that oldest and noblest of pirate traditions, and I suggest that, here, that is what we all must do. We must fight… to run away."

"As per the Code, an act of war, and this be exactly that, can only be declared by the Pirate King."

"You made that up!" Jack looks accusingly at his first mate.

"Did I? I call upon Captain Teague, Keeper of the Code!" Barbossa calls and Jack's face falls. The last person he wanted to see is his father.

But, sure enough, Teague enters, dressed in his red coat, followed by two ancient men, Morgan and Bartholomew, who carry a giant book between them. We are forced to make way and the book lands on the table with a dull thud. This is it; the Pirates' Code. Even among the noble Pirate Lords, there is air of reverence. When Captain Teague flips it open, I glimpse a very spidery hand filling the page, with occasional blotches and diagrams of ships and such. What a thing for a fan to have! I think to myself, wondering how I might steal it. Then, I'm reminded of my imminent choice; will I even go back? I put it firmly from my mind.

"Barbossa is right." Teague declares finally. He goes to sit in a chair in a shadowy alcove, where he finds a broken guitar and plays us a quiet tune.

"There has not been a King since the first Court." muses Capitaine Chevalle, the pasty French aristocrat.

"And it's not likely to change." Ammand adds in his deep voice.

"Why not?" Elizabeth whispers to Gibbs.

"The Pirate King is elected by popular vote, and each pirate only ever votes for hisself." Gibbs mutters back.

"Let's have a vote!" Jack remains enthusiastic while the other Pirate Lords roll their eyes.

"I vote for Ammand the Corsair!"

"Capitaine Chevalle!"

"Mistress Ching!"

"Gentleman Jocard!"

"Villanueva!"

"Sri Sumbahjee votes for Sri Sumbahjee."

"Barbossa!"

"Lady Nim!" I use the name I once gave Will Turner in a Port Royal forge. Meg laughs openly.

"Nim," Jack seconds, a gleam in his eyes.

There is a brief silence, but then there is outrage. Fighting erupts once more, "Am I to understand you'll not be keeping to the Code then?" Jack shouts over them.

The string on Teague's guitar breaks. He shoots a warning look around the congregation, and slowly, the pirates return to their seats.

"Very well," Mistress Ching looks down the table at me blindly, the faded colour of her unseeing eyes eerie, "What say you, Captain Nim, King of the Brethren Court?"

I let the moment hang in the air, savouring the drama. All are looking at me now and it is quite unnerving.

"Prepare every vessel that floats. At dawn, we're at war." I say eventually, speaking while realizing what that means.

In the safe harbour of the Cove, we wait. There are only a few hours left of night, and when our enemies arrive, we will be ready. We wait for them, for the first light of day and for the battle that will determine our futures. I'm surprised any of the crew can sleep, but soon I am the only one awake on the Pearl, so I leave mine and Meg's cabin and head for the quarterdeck.

The stars above blink down, unseeing, mingling with the lights of the Cove until I am sure the sky has laid a calming hand upon our little fleet; sleep now, for morning comes, bringing what it will. I could step across onto the next ship, and the next, such is their closeness, and all around is the choir of creaking hulls and ropes. But I am used to this sound, to the sea. It seems part of me. Would I miss it if I never sailed again?

"Nim?" I hear Jack's voice behind me, making me jump. He laughs quietly as I turn round. The sound is hollow and unfamiliar.

"Can't you sleep?" I ask.

"No," he looks carefully at me, "I don't want to go back to the Locker."

"You won't." I know that with more certainty than he can guess. I go to him and he kisses me. It could almost be how things were two months ago, but too much has passed and too much is meant by this kiss.

"And what of you? Are you alright?" he asks me, whispering into my hair.

"Yes. There is just one more thing I need to do." I get away, although even now it is hard, and I head for Norrington's cabin.

Knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" I call through.

"Yes."

I find him sitting on his narrow bunk, already dressed for morning in a white shirt and old trousers. Vaguely, I realize this is the first time I've seen him out of uniform. His wig is gone, and his brown hair is tied back with a scrap of black ribbon. He is almost piratical in his appearance now.

"I came to tell you that you can still leave." I close the door behind me and he stands up awkwardly. I appreciate the manners. They're something you miss when living among pirates, "You can seek shelter in the Cove until you can secure passage on a ship to England. No one will question you, as you have the King's permission." I smile wryly.

He looks strangely at me for a moment before smiling and pulling me over by the arm, so I fall down beside him.

"Nim, I appreciate it." he begins, "But I fear that for me, like for you, life holds more than tea dances, balls and society gossip. For too long, I've done what people tell me, but now I choose to help you."

"You've no idea how much that means." I tell him, and heaven knows I mean it.

"And, I'm sorry if I've ever been rude to you."

"'Tis all passed now." I hug him and wonder how easy life would be if everyone was like him.


	14. Parley

Dawn comes, as we knew it would. Outside the sky is grey, a blank canvas, as if waiting for our battle to mark it in cannon smoke and bloodshed, streaked across it like soot.

I wake up to find that I've slept, and that I've slept in Jack's cabin. Meg will mock me no end, I tell myself as I yawn and go to the porthole, staring out at the calm ocean. He is still asleep, blankets half-gone, hair over his face. I stop staring and dress in the same clothes I wore for the Brethren Court. I have others on this ship, but it seems appropriately piratical. I grimly add my belt with sword and pistol, and tie my hair into two long braids, ready for what's coming.

He wakes up now, stretching and yawning, about as enthusiastic as me to sail out into the battle.

"Get up, Jack." I hurl a pillow at his head, "They'll only mock us further if we stay in here."

I leave him to dress and wander onto the deck, breathing in the cool air. Meg comes up to meet me, ashen-faced but also looking piratical enough.

"You didn't come back last night, did you?" she laughs mischievously.

"No, I slept in Jack's cabin." I mutter, speaking fast as if she might just ignore it. Not likely…

"Ha! So, what happened?" she asks jovially.

"I went to sleep, and then I woke up." I answer truthfully. I wonder how she can be so calm on a day where we might die.

Soon, all the crew is running about and the Brethren sail together out of the Cove, ready for whatever lies beyond. Except this; an armada that stretches across the horizon, skeletal silhouettes of ships, led by the Flying Dutchman. The great cheers, the rallying of the troops, the swords held up towards the sky soon fade to quiet murmurs and wide-eyed shock.

"What are we to do?" I ask Jack.

"We declare parley." he answers, looking bleak.

A small sandbank near the Cove is the most neutral place for us meet. All the same, as Jack, Barbossa, Meg and I row out to it, I feel like I'm heading into enemy territory. Three figures wait for us, ominous blurs as our dinghy nears its destination.

Beckett is in the centre, dressed in a fine green coat, he wig neat. He wears a small smile as we approach. Davy Jones looks menacing in his bucket, and his eyes rest immediately on Jack, the man who cheated him. Will, however, is obviously nervous. Certainly, his clothes are neater, but as he looks as Meg, I can only see a child awaiting punishment or a kiss of forgiveness.

Our side strides towards them in style, our steps automatically synchronized a perfect row. When we stop, I can feel the tension. A surge of hatred for Beckett and Jones, the causes of it all, rushes through me.

"Ye be the cur that led these wolves you our door?" Barbossa addresses Will.

"Do not blame Turner." I've never met Beckett before, but his cold, perfect English is more intimidating in real life, "He was merely the tool of your betrayal. If you wish to see its grand architect, look to your left."

Everyone looks at Jack. He grins down at me, for I stand next to him.

"My hands are clean in this… figuratively." I take his grubby hand and examine it, laughing quietly to myself.

"Then how did Turner come to give me this, Jack?" Beckett holds up the compass and Jack pales slightly, "Ah, but we've not met. Tell me, Jack, who is this fine lady?" the evil villain's eyes take in my trousers, boots and sword, and his tone is sarcastic.

"Captain Nim, King of the Brethren Court." I step forward, matching his cold. I offer my hand. He ignores it.

"I propose an exchange." Meg calls out. Our enemies look at her carefully, "We leave with Will, and you can take Jack."

"Agreed." Beckett snaps.

"No!" Jack looks outraged.

"Jack is a Pirate Lord! You've no right!" Barbossa fumes.

"I am King." I remind him, "And I agree with Meg."

"What?" Jack's voice goes high.

"Trust me." I mutter to him. All are silent for a moment, but Jack breaks into a roguish grin, bowing before me.

"As you command, your nibs."

"Blackguard!" Barbossa swipes his sword at Jack, cutting the Piece of Eight from his headscarf. Jack the Monkey rushes unnoticeably to retrieve it.

Jack crosses to Beckett, and Will joins us. He and Meg embrace, and I go towards Beckett once more.

"Do you know of a Miss Elizabeth Swann?" I try to put as much ice in my voice as possible.

"Certainly. She is counted in your ranks, is she not? Along with the traitor Norrington?"

"You would know about treachery. You murdered her father."

"He chose his own fate."

"And, here, you have chosen yours. We will fight, and you will die." I assure him.

"So be it." he replies, with a smile.

With that, the parley ends. I shoot Jack an encouraging nod, willing him to know that he will be fine. Barbossa, Meg, Will and I head back to the Pearl.

"King?" Will asks me.

"Of the Brethren Court, courtesy of Jack." I smile.

"Maybe he really does know what he's doing." Meg adds sincerely. Just that little comment is enough to give me hope yet. I can get through this battle alive. After all, there is something to fight for…


	15. Calypso

**Hello again! Here are the latest updates... I might need to add a note: The Pirate Buddies is the group that wrote the fanfiction. Each member later gets their own chapter. It was much clearer on our old account, but there you have it. I am sure you're clever enough to get it :)**

She is brought up, bound in ropes so tight, they have to drag her. Her calm, brown eyes survey us carefully, and when they meet mine, she gives a small smile. Many things will end today, and I suppose that her time spent bound to human form will be the first.

"Too long my fate's not been in my own hands." Barbossa says savagely as he rips the Piece of Eight from round my neck, "No longer."

Everyone is gathered and Ragetti produces the bowl containing the Pieces of Eight. There is a strange hush as we wait, only two of us knowing our true destiny, the outcome of Barbossa's plan.

"Items brought together, done. Items to be burned?" Barbossa watches with reverence as Pintel pours rum over the bowl and lights the contents, "And someone must speak the words 'Calypso, I release you form your human bonds'… as if to a lover."

There is a murmur of awe from the assembled pirates, and it is brave Ragetti who steps shyly forward and whispers into Calypso's ear.

"Calypso…I release you from your human bonds." he intones quietly. Barbossa looks furious at him, but she moans. The fire in the bowl grows suddenly, eating the surrounding air with a whoosh. Obviously, love is uncertainty, because something is happening. There is a change in the air, an almost audible buzz, as the ropes strain and Tia Dalma begins to grow…

But I am changing too. The magic I have not felt in ages seems to flare briefly beneath my skin, sending a shiver to the tips of my fingers, then fading again, leaving me shaky and faint. I look to Meg, wondering if she feels the same. Clearly she does, for she falls against the railing. Will looks puzzled, but his attention is fast drawn back to Calypso.

She stands now, tall as the main mast, a tangle of rope and shredded clothes. She looks dazedly on us.

"Calypso!" Barbossa bows, and I cross to Meg. We exchange a look, "I come before you as but a servant, humble and contrite…"

"Meg, did you feel that magic?" I whisper quickly.

"Yes, what should we – "

But Calypso's roar drowns out the rest of her words. As the sea goddess returns to the sea in a million crabs, the full force of the magic returns, stronger this time, forcing me to my knees. Meg's hand grips my own; she has fallen with me. Something odd is happening. It's as if all the magic Calypso had as Tia Dalma has come into us. I can feel it racing round me; ice in my bloodstream, making my head light. When I look down at my hands, they seem changed, as if they glow with the power.

"Our final hope has failed us." Barbossa looks out at the sea. Storm clouds are gathering, like my thoughts. Ideas form…

"Meg, the other Pirate Buddies!" I whisper urgently, "I've got to go get them! We need their help in this battle, and that's why we've been given this magic again."

"Alright." I would expect more questions, but maybe she senses the urgency of my thoughts, for I can certainly feel hers coursing through me; fear, excitement and her fierce love for Will. The power of it nearly knocks me back down again.

The armada draws closer. It is time to decide; should I follow my instinct? This strange, unpredictable power that has never done anything for me? That's not true, I remind myself, it's done one thing; it gave me the courage to leave Jack to the Kraken, to trust in my own powers. I guess that is all I need, because the next thing I know, my hand tightens round the locket, and I'm pulled under by the familiar rush.


	16. Calm Before The Storm

**Short chapter this time. So I guess I'll post another one straight after :D PLEASE review this one and comment on my re-write of the notorious "Freedom Speech". I just fancied re-writing it, nothing against the original. Just tell me what you think. Thanks, lovelies. Thank you for all the reviews this has got so far. I'm seriously grateful. **

The deck of the Black Pearl is crowded when I return, Katie, Kirsti and Emma with me, dressed in their borrowed 18th century clothing. After my short trip to the other world, I am quite tired.

Meg joins us, stunned but smiling. This is something important, something perfectly normal amongst all this madness; friends meeting. That, I suppose, is why I shout;

"Stop!" the scene freezes, and for a moment, there is only the five of us, "Meg, may I present Emma, Kirsti and Katie." I introduce them happily, and they exchange hellos.

"This battle is going to be big, bigger than anything we've ever seen." Meg says in a low voice, and I'm not sure whether she is offering advice or voicing her own fears, "Just…keep fighting and it should be alright."

"Before I forget," I conjure swords for all of them and make sure mine and Meg's are sharp. We each get pistols too. Everything is prepared, "Begin again!"

"There's still a fight to be had." we find Elizabeth arguing with Barbossa. Norrington stands defiantly at her side.

"Revenge won't bring your father back, Miss, and it's not something I'm planning to die for." the old pirate rejoins.

"Then what shall we die for?" I ask. They turn to look at me. Now is my chance to exert some authority as Pirate King, rally the troops, "Listen to me!" I climb up onto the railing as Elizabeth did, with the new and favourable wind stirring my hair. Only, when the words find me, they are my own, "We could all die here today, that is a possibility, but we must make the decision now; die free, or die on their terms? When the Brethren look here, to the Black Pearl to lead, they will see free men, for I call upon you now to help us summon our own armada: our freedom!" I look at Barbossa, "Our hope and love!" I look to Meg, "Our spirit and friendship!" I look to the PBs, "And today, we must show the enemy that we have something they don't, and we must show them what we can do! Gentlemen, hoist the colours!"

A cheer goes up, cutlasses raised, chins tilted up towards the future, whatever it may bring. This is its own magic, and I can feel something in the wind as the colours rise high over the Brethren's fleet; Calypso. She is in the breath of wind, the rain that lands, a cool kiss, on my cheek, and in the now-churning sea.

I climb down and stand with Meg, Emma, Katie and Kirsti. None of us say anything as we head up to the helm and watch the pirates readying for battle, but our hands are linked; a five-girl chain. Hardly enough to hold back Beckett and his army, but we'll try. On the wind, we hear it: Well done, girls. Good luck. It's Calypso's last message before she becomes what she should always have been. The last remnants of magic rush through me, briefly illuminating my friends and I in a glow of power. But then it is gone, and I am not unhappy about it. Now, we're at war, and I am on the same level as my allies… and my enemies.


	17. Into The Maelstrom

Purple, grey, blue and black all spread across the sky like a bruise and Calypso's anger shows in the white horses that ride the suddenly-dark waves. The rain builds to a full torrential storm, and the favourable wind picks up, jolting us closer to the Dutchman.

But the Sea Goddess has another trick yet. The terrible monster of the sea opens its jaws in a great, fierce maelstrom that gapes the distance between Pearl and Dutchman, threatening to swallow us whole. We descend into it, moving fast. All around me, I see a menacing wall of water.

"Take us out, or they'll overbear us!" Will shouts to Barbossa, who is at the helm, a near-demonic look on his face. We girls are standing still, waiting for our cue to start moving. Already, my shirt is stuck to my skin by the freezing rain and spray.

"No! Further in; we'll cut across to faster waters!" Barbossa laughs, "Dying is the day worth living for!"

The Pearl lurches further into the maelstrom, and I worry that my friends will get seasick, but when I look at them, they are only determined. It encourages me. Just then, we're joined by Elizabeth and Norrington. He holds his sword at the ready in one hand, but his other holds Elizabeth's. I smile at him and hope they are truly together.

Elizabeth scans our surroundings and the Dutchman's position and its cannons with horror.

"Prepare to broadside!" she shouts.

And now we run, loading cannons, watching the more experienced crew members to see how it's done, waiting for the signal in the darkness below deck, our fear tangible, pulses racing…

Until…

"Fire!"

The explosions tear through the heavy silence. Flashes of light and plenty of smoke have me losing all sense of equilibrium. I'm thrown backwards by my cannon, and as I rush forward to reload, Meg comes and grabs my arm.

"Come on, we'll be needed on deck when they come aboard." I know she speaks of Davy Jones' men and the soldiers, "Anyways, I'm no powder monkey."

So the PBs leave their guns, and we find Will on the deck. It is clearer up here, my mind clearer too. Some of the crew is preparing to swing over to the Dutchman, and we draw our swords, ready for when the Dutchman's crew joins us. For the moment, the five of us stand in a circle, swords crossed. We're all bedraggled, cold, frightened, but the battle has awakened us all. We're ready.

The adrenaline quickens my pulse as we fan out and the first wave of fish people and soldiers arrive, hitting the deck with a thud, immediately running at us. I'm frozen for a second, watching. Emma clashes swords with one, Katie neatly dodges a creature's well-directed blow, Kirsti pushes an East India Company soldier overboard into the abyss with a defiant cackle, and Meg fights alongside Will, their perfect footwork forming the steps of an intricate, deadly dance. Elizabeth rushes in to join Kirsti in her efforts by the rail and Norrington fights off two grisly Dutchman crewmen single-handedly. It is chaos, but it is ordered, it is dark, but light. Oh, there is fear, but there is excitement. There is but one missing piece…

I throw myself into the fight, my sword scratching brightly against that of a grim, squid-like thing with four clawlike arms, but only one sword. I fight only to survive, mowing down a few enemies, but always finding more. In an odd way, it has all fallen into place, and above me, Jack and Davy Jones mount the crosstrees of the Dutchman…

* * *

Meg spins round and impales a soldier that was just about to run her through. This battle is hard work, and she is suddenly reminded of the battle on Isla Cruces, where she and Nim sat drinking water on a beach while the men fought. Sadly, today there is no choice.

"Meg? Meg?" Will catches hold of her arm, "Meg, will you marry me?" he looks into her face uncertainly, the rain drops clinging to his eyelashes like tears.

"I don't think now is the best time." she is forced to let go of him and fight off a fish man or two. Is there no justice?

"Now may be the only time." Will grabs her again, and he won't let go, "I've made my choice. What's yours?"

"Barbossa!" Meg calls delightedly. She watched this scene, longing to be Elizabeth, and now it's finally happening. Will looks momentarily confused, "Marry us!"

The old pirate kills two soldiers simultaneously then looks down at them from the helm.

"I'm a little busy at the moment." he growls.

"Barbossa, now!" Will commands with such ferocity, that Barbossa kills his latest opponent, rolls his eyes and stands upon the wheel, hand on his heart like a priest… except he is a pirate, and this is a battle.

"Dearly beloved we be gathered here today…" he is runs a shell-headed beast through, "To nail your gizzards to the mast, you poxy cur!"

Meg and Will swirl back into the battle, but as soon as there is another lull, he grabs her and speaks so quietly, it's a wonder she can hear over the roar of the storm.

"Megan Webb, do you take me to be your husband?"

"I do." she cries, spinning out of his grip and knocking a soldier on the head with the hilt of her sword, "Will Turner, do you take me to be your wife?"

"I do." he replies, certain. They continue fighting as Barbossa climbs back onto the wheel, resuming his proud position as Captain of the ship.

"I now pronounce you…" he does not see the attack coming from behind him.

"Barbossa!" Meg shrieks, running up the steps and killing the man behind him, just before he can kill Barbossa with one hit.

"Thankye, Miss." Barbossa grabs her arm briefly, "Ye may kiss your…"

She rushes down to join Will, but they are forced to fight off a wave of doomed pirates and Barbossa has to shoot a soldier.

"Just kiss!" He shouts over the storm.

There is no one. Meg turns, expecting to find more enemies, but her sword only clashes against Will's. He grabs her arm forcefully and pulls her into him. With the battle still raging around them and the ship driving further into the maelstrom, they kiss for the first time as husband and wife, and she is not aware of anything but him and the rain that falls pleasantly on them, blurring everything else to a stillness that, for one moment, she can live in, her own private realm.


	18. Kirsti's Battle

**Here's KIRSTI'S chapter. She writes more in the 4th fanfiction, which is coming soon. :D**

It was real, Nim really was telling the truth, all the way from the beginning when it started out with a gypsy giving her a locket. I didn't think something this amazing could be true, and I didn't believe her from the start, because I didn't even think gypsies were real. Now here I am, in the midst of the most epic pirate battle of all time. Well, at least of all fictional time, I still can't believe I am here.

"Ahhhhh!" I scream, as a scary sea monster tries to attack me. I hope I don't die! I look over to where my friends are, and they don't look as scared as me, and they are definitely better at sword-fighting than I am. The closest thing I have ever gotten to swinging a sword was when I was playing the At World's End video game on the Wii. But the Wiimote was a lot lighter than this dangerous weapon.

Another cursed crew member of the Flying Dutchman comes, and by luck, I actually kill him. I felt kind of bad because I have never killed anyone before, but then I reassure myself that it was ok, since he was a fiend, and technically not real. This is too much; I need to get out of here before another one comes.

I head below decks, where I meet two characters from the movie, Murtogg and Mullroy.

"Where are all these pirate wenches coming from?" One asks.

"Who are you?" Says the other one.

"Oh, I'm one of the pirate buddies!" I say in a high voice.

The two men just sort of look at each other then go away. I shrug my shoulders, and sit down at the table they were previously sitting at. I take a deep breath. I can't do this, I'm no pirate. My dream has come true, and I am just not up for it.

Above me I hear all kinds of noises; the storm, swords clashing and gunshots. Then I hear a high-pitched scream. Oh no, I thought, what if its one of my friends? Then I hear another noise, one that I didn't expect.

"Baah!" I hear a distressed goat in the corner of the room. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Now she's laughing at a goat..." a distant Mullroy says.

I think of all the good times as I calm the goat, which must have been left on board for its milk. Emma, Katie, Nim, and Meg are my friends and they are dying up there! And here I am hiding from the chaos. I can not just ditch my friends, they brought me all the way here to help them, and I must do my part. With the help of a goat, I have built my confidence back up.

Determined, I head back up to the fight. Katie was surrounded by three East India Trading Company men, so I rush to go help her. I draw my sword just as Emma comes. With our knowledge of watching Pirates so much, we manage to take down the three men.

"Thanks!" Katie breathes out heavily. We all smile at each other, and I am very glad I have decided to do the right thing. I feel good, and excited that I get to be in the Pirate world. Then an eel-creature comes up and scares me, and I decide I won't be staying here. I love the Pirates and Pirate Buddies, but I also love my life where I belong. I would never be able to leave my few friends and large family at home.

We continue fighting and join up with Megan and Nim. We all decide it is now time to go over to the Dutchman. I feel a slight pinch of sadness, and I can see it in the other Buddies too, because we all know what is coming soon. Nim stays on the Pearl to help keep the enemy away from Barbossa at the helm.

The Flying Dutchman is more tattered than the Black Pearl. The bad guys become harder to fight. Beside me, one of Beckett's men picks up a sword. I cringe, as I do every time I see the sword with a gold fringe at the end. Davy Jones stomps up and kills the man with the sword. My mouth drops open, my favourite character of all time is right in front of me. He is a lot bigger in person. I want to take in the moment, and shout 'Oh my God, I love you, you have the most awesome octopus head I have ever seen!' but it is very terrifying, and decide that if I said that, it could get me killed. Then, Meg comes up and grabs me away before Davy could harm me.

Sheltered for a moment, my face still looks scared. But then I tell Meg what is really on my mind. "That was so cool!"

Meg laughs, and we continue to fight pirate-style. Distracted by more scary fish people, we didn't notice Davy Jones coming at us again. I turn around and duck out of the way, expecting Meg to do the same thing. Instead, she heads for Will, but it's too late. Davy knocks her down along with Will.


	19. Emma's Battle

**Here's EMMA'S chapter. Again, she writes more in the 4th fanfic... which is yet to be titled... :D **

I stood back and watched the massive battle rage around me. I didn't know whether to hug or kill Meg and Nim for bringing me into this. However, through my terror I could feel a bit of excitement; this was it, the battle I had only ever dreamt of being in. Now here I was, in the thick of it!

My glow of excitement faded however as I watched a pirate be slammed into the mast and ran through with a sword. Now I just felt sick.

I drew my sword and waved it around, trying to act like I knew what I was doing, which was laughable. The wind and rain whipped my hair around my shoulders and into my eyes. I quickly brushed it aside as an East India Company soldier ran at me, brandishing his sword. I stepped to the side and tripped him when he was close enough, then with a deep breath I plunged my sword into his back.

"Well, this is a first." I said, cringing as I removed the sword, hearing the steel slither out of the flesh.

I turned my attention to the ensuing battle. I gripped my sword tightly and swung it at an oncoming creature of Davy Jones'. The head flew off and landed in the violently rushing sea. I smiled proudly and turned, ready to face the rest of them.

Kirsti and Katie were battling a creature each and I watched in amazement as Katie slashed at the creatures with seemingly practised ease. Kirsti was ducking and diving so fast I could scarcely see her.

I ran towards my fellow PBs, slipping over the wet of the deck and the bodies that littered it. I ducked swiftly, which was surprising as I was never one to have quick reflexes. I thrust my sword into a creature's leg and whipped it out again, inwardly cheering as I heard the scream of pain.

Yells of surprise attracted my attention and I looked up to see several East India Company soldiers fall from the mast and straight into the open mouth of the whirlpool engulfing both The Dutchman and The Pearl.

"That was awesome." I whispered, spinning around to elbow a soldier in the head.

"You don't creep up on people!" I shouted.

I kicked him to the side, seeing him slide into the rails, clutching his head. I rubbed my elbow cringing.

"That's going to leave a bruise." I moaned, my low pain threshold rearing its ugly head.

I looked around and spotted a rope connected to the Dutchman. I ran for it, cutting down all of the enemies in my path. When I had reached the rope I stopped. I hadn't expected to actually reach it. How did you swing to the other ship during a storm?

I clenched the rope tightly between my wet and shaking hands. As I felt the safety of the deck leave my feet I screamed and quickly shut my eyes, feeling the spray of the sea and the wind, sharp as a thousand knives, whip my face.

When my feet hit the deck of the Dutchman I had a sudden urge to throw myself down on the deck and kiss it for being there to catch me but I stopped myself, it wasn't really the time.

I studied the Dutchman as best I could. It was not somewhere I planned on visiting again. The cold and depressing environment was infectious and I began to lose all hope for my survival.

Suddenly I felt a searing pain across my lower back. I span around and found myself looking into the face of a creature of the Dutchman. It laughed and swung its sword high, ready to take me out once and for all. I froze, panic taking over me.

Then, rallying all my strength and throwing away my sanity, I launched myself at the creature's body, sending it overboard. I never heard the splash over the howling wind but I knew it was gone. I felt tears pour down my face as salt water seeped into my wound.

"For the love of God!" I cried.

I shakily climbed to my feet and I continued to desperately fight the seemingly ever-increasing number of foes, dreading the moment I knew was fast approaching.


	20. Katie's Battle

**Here's KATIE'S chapter. She, too, writes more in Fanfic #4**

As the surrounding battle rages on, I momentarily stand in awe. I can barely believe that I'm actually here, transported centuries back in time. "It just feels so real," I think to myself. As the cold rain hits my face it awakens me to the fact that it is indeed real, and I run off into the battle with the others. I have doubts in my mind about how well I can do. I've never even held a real sword before, much less try to fight with one. "But I've been brought here for a reason, and I have to do all I can to help," I said silently. When Nim had conjured us the swords with Calypso's magic, I remembered that I had also felt it pulse from the sword into my hand and throughout the rest of my body. That thought gave me the confidence I needed, that I would have enough swordsmanship to at least defend myself well enough to not get killed. With these thoughts in my mind, I draw my sword with a strong grip and prepare for the fight of my life.

I see one of Davy Jones' creatures turn and come at me, raising its sword and whipping it swiftly across as it gets close enough to hit me. I quickly jump back and duck, a move that makes the creature miss a shot that surely would left me dead had it hit. I take the opportunity to cut the creature's arm and as it reels back in pain I slice across its midsection. Turning around I see my friends fighting their own battles, and I am amazed at how the five us are holding our own against these enemies whose whole lives are consumed with fighting on the seas. A few seconds later, I fight off a few more of Davy Jones' cronies with an efficiency that shocks me.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I notice an East India Company soldier running quickly towards me. As he approaches, I hold my ground with my sword held out in front of me, mentally preparing to fight him off. Realizing that most likely I would have to kill him in order to stay alive myself, I began having doubts again. Fighting off Davy Jones' fish people was much different than fighting another human. "Can I do this?" I asked myself. Our swords clash and for a moment I pause, telling myself that there is nothing else I could do. I would have to fight in order to stay alive. I push his sword back and swing at him with mine. He blocks my attack and I step back, trying to figure out my next move. Just as I step back, I realize that what I had done was a mistake, as I saw two more men running to help their comrade. They surround me and I realize I am in trouble. "There's no way I can fight off all three," I worry. Just then, I see Emma and Kirsti run up and begin fighting with the other two soldiers. I turn my attention back to the one in front of me and try as hard as I can to defeat him. After trading a few blows I finally get my chance when the soldier stumbles backwards against the railing of the ship. I thrust my sword forward and it pierces his chest, and I kick him in the stomach to free my sword. The force of the kick shoves the almost lifeless man overboard.

A feeling of relief and accomplishment comes over me, knowing I have survived my first real test as a pirate, with only a few cuts. I turn to thank my friends for helping me, and knowing we must get to the Dutchman soon we make the slow journey across the deck, slashing through our enemies on the way. As we get closer to the other side of the deck, Meg joins us to cross over to the Dutchman, while Nim stays behind to help Barbossa. We see a group swinging over from the Dutchman, and we all know that this is our opportunity. I slide my sword back into its sheath, and grab an empty rope after its previous passenger boards the ship. I clench the rope as tight as I possibly can, fearing what will happen if I lose my grip and fall. I push the thought out of my mind and with a deep breath I jump off the side of the ship. The feeling of swinging over the maelstrom is frightening, knowing that there is a deep abyss of violently swirling water waiting to swallow whoever is unfortunate enough to fall into its grasp, with no hope of escape. I am glad when I feel my feet hit the deck of the Dutchman. The other three Pirate Buddies join me on deck and we soon disperse.

The Dutchman has an odd atmosphere of sadness and absence, no doubt a feeling being reflected from its captain. The battles we are all fighting become longer and more difficult and my mind and strength begin to waver. As soon as I kill one enemy, it seems like two more are immediately there to take their place. I slit one creature in half and dodge as another one swings its sword and I feel the blade scrape against my arm. It swings at me again and I duck just in time. Quickly, I am able to land a devastating blow that kills the creature. I see another close by has its back towards me and I run up behind it and stab it in the back before it has a chance to attack me. A third creature with two swords in its claws attacks. I am barely able to defend myself against it and I begin to wonder if this will be the end after being cut a few times, despite trying to dodge the blows. Somehow I manage to render one of its sword bearing arms useless. After blocking a few more times, I raise my sword up and lunge at the creature. My sword cuts a gash running diagonally across its body and it falls hard onto the deck. The battle feels as though it has lasted for hours, and I am exhausted both physically and mentally as I defend myself against yet another creature. The icy cold rain keeps falling and I am starting to feel numb. I try to keep my thoughts on the continuing fight and the battle around me, but I can't help but think of the event that is to come.


	21. Sacrifices

**Back to Nim here. I also write some of the 4th fanfic, obviously.**

Landing hard on the deck of the Dutchman, I bend my knees to absorb the shock. I've been fighting over on the Pearl for the whole battle, but I know that now is time to follow all my friends over here. The final moment will soon be upon us. I have a couple of small wounds; a gash on my leg and a small scratch just below my collarbone on the left, shaped like an 'x'. Secretly, I hope that one scars. There is blood on my shirt, my hair is wet through and every part of me is frozen solid. Still, I see only the scene before me. I draw my sword.

Jack stands closest, his back to me. I notice the key lying on the deck behind him, unnoticed, and I pick it up. In front of Jack is Davy Jones, who is watching Meg and Will, a mocking smile on his face. They lay cast on the deck, barely meters apart, disarmed, afraid to move. This scene is too familiar. I gasp.

Katie, Kirsti and Emma use the brief stillness to leave their separate battles and join us, expressions grave. We all know where this is heading.

Knowing there is nothing else to do, I go to Jack's side, and my arm brushes his. He turns to see me, and there is a lull in the storm's ferocity as our eyes lock. I gently take the chest from his arms, unlock it with my key and hold it to my heart, holding his gaze all the time. Then, I offer it to him. You know what to do. He smiles sadly.

"Love; a dreadful bond. Yet, so easily severed…" Davy Jones repeats the words I remember from our first encounter so long ago, "Do you remember that, girl?" he addresses Meg, grinning wickedly.

"Please, no!" she begs, her voice a terrible, desperate thing that shatters my heart. Jones pays her no mind.

"Tell me, William Turner, do you fear death?" he advances on Will as Meg screams.

"Do you?" Emma, Katie, Kirsti and I all chorus with Jack. It would be funny, but we all sense the gravity of the moment, the fact that Will's life is at its end. Jones sees the PBs first and smiles.

"Such courage. When the battle is over, and Beckett and his men are finished with you, I wonder if you'll have such courage then." he looks coldly at me, "I once said you have more spirit than is necessary. We shall see."

But then, Jones sees him, standing solidly beside me, the heart in one hand and the jagged point of the severed sword hovering above it. I've never seen Jack look so angry, his eyes the darkest black.

"You're a cruel man, Jack Sparrow." Jones holds his own sword, but keeps still, facing his nemesis with an unreadable expression.

"Cruelty is a matter of perspective." Jack replies coolly. I begin to cry. Meg is tense and motionless, afraid to move.

"Is it?" Davy Jones smiles and turns back to Will. Everything slows. The sword cuts through the air and stabs Meg's love in the heart. Her scream is hardly heard as the storm renews its efforts and Bootstrap lunges at Jones, finally coming awake. She hurries to Will's side.

"Jack, you know what you must do." I hold his face in my hands, "I always knew you were a good man." I kiss him softly, briefly, before we both move quickly to Will and Meg. It has all built to this one terrible moment I suppose. I put my arm round her shoulders and pray to the unforgiving sky, to anything that might be watching us. Meg's hand is linked with Will's, her other with mine. My free hand is held tightly in Jack's, whose other holds Will's around the severed sword. Such a powerful circle. I realize we are all it takes to change our destiny. My strange power sparks once more between us, and I tell them silently; everything will be fine.

Davy Jones senses a change in himself. An inexplicable warmth starts in his chest, a sensation almost remembered from long ago, a thud in his ears which builds until his body seizes and he turns to see what he knows will be there.

They are grouped together; the blonde girl who sobs, distraught, over her husband's lifeless body; Elizabeth, whose eyes are fixed on her as if both finding and losing something at the same time; the dark-haired, pale-skinned girl who smiles, both proud and defiant and Jack Sparrow. He returns the smile as his hand grips the lifeless Turner's around the broken sword… the sword that has just pierced Jones' heart. All of them are watched over by the trio of girls who stand behind them like terrible angels, their tears mingling with the rain. The love, the extreme power of those eight faces has him stagger backwards. He turns his face to the sky.

"Calypso?" he begs for mercy and the sky answers with a rumble of thunder; no quarter, as the thud builds to a roar and he topples into the abyss.

The fallen captain is gone, but we are still trapped in a maelstrom on a sinking ship, fading fast. Still, I can't move. my whole body shakes as Bootstrap Bill comes forward. The crew of the Dutchman gathers round. They begin to chant and, at first, I don't know what they're saying. But then, it comes to me;

Part of the ship,

Part of the crew…

Bootstrap holds his knife over Will's chest. He looks up to the sky as Meg sobs piteously over her husband's body.

"The Dutchman must have a captain." Bill says solemnly. The knife catches the light as he raises it.

Jack's hand tightens on my own. He leads me off, and I drag Meg, with some effort, towards the edge of the ship. The PBs and Elizabeth follow, grabbing other ropes as Jack shoots ours. I hold fast round his waist, my face buried in his chest. He holds me tight to him as we sail up into the air on a sail parachute, pushed up by the whirl of air in the maelstrom. Meg holds onto the rope beneath us, and Elizabeth and the PBs grip their own parachute. Higher we fly, until the obliterating white of the sky is all I see, and we plummet back to the ocean.


	22. Good Business

On the Pearl, I count a few crewmen missing, but luckily, most are alive. We've even got two new recruits in the form of Murtogg and Mullroy.

I sit, dazed, on the half deck beside Meg and the PBs, cold and totally spent. She is still crying, but silently as if no more sobs will come. There is still a battle to be fought, so I daren't cry. Mercifully, Norrington comes over and asks for a word. I get up and go with him to the bow.

"Elizabeth and I are to be married, Nim." he is smiling, "And, as Pirate King, you will be able to live in the Cove."

"I don't see how they're related, James." I sigh.

"What I mean to ask is… Elizabeth and I are destitute… no social standing…" he rambles, and I finally catch on.

"You would like to live with us in Shipwreck Cove?" I ask for him, smiling for what feels like the first time in years.

"Erm… well, yes." he laughs uneasily.

"I would be honoured, James."

And, so, I suppose the decision is made for me, although I'm not sure whether there was ever any doubt; I will stay in this strange, illusory, yet frighteningly real world, where, finally, I have my place.

With this new security, I return to Meg, wordlessly, take her hand and lead her to the starboard side, where the Dutchman is emerging from the calm waves, and behind it, the sun is still rising.

"It is a steep price, I accept that." I explain, "But I suppose it all depends on the one day…"

* * *

Lord Cutler Beckett sees his precious Dutchman rise majestically from the sea and smiles.

"Ah, she survived." he says to no one in particular.

The captain of the Dutchman is sailing the ship towards the Pearl, running parallel to her. Soon, Jack Sparrow and his ship will be no more, the end of piracy. Beckett would have liked to take prisoners, but the outcome is not all bad.

Why isn't he firing? Beckett frowns at the Dutchman and the Pearl. They are not firing on one another at all.

"Sir, orders?" a lieutenant comes to Beckett, looking nonplussed.

And before he can do anything, his Endeavour is trapped between the two ships, and Beckett can see that the Dutchman is no longer captained by Davy Jones, but by William Turner.

* * *

"Fire!" Jack says quietly to Gibbs. The cry is echoed all over the ship, and on the Dutchman, Captain Turner gives the same order. Cannon fire once again breaks the silence, and we watch calmly as Beckett's ship is destroyed. I see the tyrant himself, stepping down the stairs, hardly comprehending as he is swallowed by the explosion from the powder magazine. The Black Pearl and the Dutchman continue side by side towards the armada.

"They're turning back!" Marty, our lookout, declares wildly. There is a moment of incredulous silence. We daren't believe it, but soon, there is no denying it; without their leader, the East India Company fleet have nothing to do but retreat.

A deafening cheer goes up all across the Brethren's ships. Tears pour down my cheeks as I rush to hug Meg fiercely, and the PBs. We stand in our charmed circle, laughing and crying, while all around us, pirates are flinging their hats into the air. The thin, weak sun breaks through the clouds, bathing us in its fiery glory.

"Nim?" I finally let go of my friends and rush up to the quarterdeck where Jack is calling me, waiting with a smile. He lifts me off the floor with his kiss, and I'm so grateful we're both alive.

"You're staying this time?" he asks.

"Yes." I laugh, "Where else would I go?" I'm suddenly reminded, "Jack, Meg and Will are going for their one day ashore. What of you? Am I right in suspecting that you won't be able to live in the Cove with meg, Elizabeth, Norrington and I?

"Yes." how can one word have the power to knock all the breath from me, "Nim, the sea..."

"I know." and truly, I do. He needs to be a pirate, just like I need to live on land. And I am certain of something else; he will come back for me.

"One day ashore, then?" he says quietly, and I only nod.

The longboat is lowered for us all; Meg, Norrington & Elizabeth, Emma, Katie and Kirsti, and Jack and I. It's time for us to say goodbye to the crew.

"Farewell, Misses." Gibbs hugs Meg and I.

"Goodbye, poppets." Pintel, Ragetti, Murtogg and Mullroy tip their hats respectfully.

"Ye be careful, Nim." Barbossa winks at me before turning to Meg, "And thank you, Mrs Turner."

I walk arm-in-arm to the side of the ship with Meg. Jack will have my attention later.

"Thank you for what?" I ask her, confused by what Barbossa said.

"I saved his life when he married Will and me. I killed a soldier who was about to kill him." she answers, then an idea comes to me.

"Barbossa!" I call, and he turns back to me, "You've a merciful nature and a sense of fair play, right?" I ask boldly.

"Aye." he preens.

"Well, Meg saved your life today, and I would like to request a favour, on her behalf, in return; be Jack's first mate. Don't take the Pearl for yourself." I smile winningly, "Do I…I mean does she have your word?"

"Alright then." he sighs, but he is still smiling. I've changed the story again, and done something selfless. In spite of the ominous goodbyes that will be said, as I get into the longboat, I can't help but feel at peace.


	23. One Day

**It's coming to an end now... there's an in-joke in this chapter, something about fighting trolls. Just ignore it. :)**

It promises to be a beautiful day; the clouds gradually breaking apart, allowing the blue sky to make an appearance. At first, none of us say anything as we stand on the beach, a band of pirates, whether we like it or not. Will is still coming ashore.

"We shall head for Shipwreck Cove, I think." Elizabeth says finally, taking Norrington's hand, "See you soon, Nim, Meg and Jack." she smiles at the PBs, "And thank you, girls."

Norrington and Elizabeth walk up the beach, disappearing over the rocks until we don't see them at all. It might not be the original ending, but things rarely work out the way we expect. I've come to expect the unexpected in recent months.

"Jack, may we have a moment?" I ask him, and he nods, walking up the beach a little way, so only we five girls remain.

"It's time for you to go home." Meg tells the PBs, crying as she does. This moment has been coming but still, it won't be easy, "Thank you so much!" she hugs them all.

"Yeah, thanks for helping. We couldn't have done it without you." I assure them.

"I'm staying." Emma looks seriously at me, and I don't want to question her. After all, I saw her slice a fish-man in two…

"What?" Meg asks.

"So am I." Katie laughs, "If there's room."

"Of course. Of course there's room." I find I'm crying too, now.

But then all of us turn to Kirsti. She looks as if she is about to faint.

"I… I can't stay." she whispers, "I have to go home."

There is silence. I know the feeling of needing to go home. I left after our first adventure. But, I guess, home is here, for me, now.

"I understand." I say finally, "Take this, and when you're ready, wish yourself home." I offer he my… Calypso's… locket. In giving it away, I've given up any chance I had of going back. Surprisingly, that doesn't unsettle me at all.

"Thank you, Nim. I'll miss you all." Kirsti cries. We all hug again, and for a moment, we remember the battle.

She gives the locket one long, determined look, strides out to the water's edge, and then she is gone.

"Fighting trolls was nothing compared to that." Emma is the first to speak, and we all laugh.

"We should follow Lizzie and Norrie. You've some business to attend to." Katie points along the beach where Will is climbing out of his little boat, meeting Jack.

The two remaining PBs head up onto the rocks, and I know that I must now face the best, and worst part of this terrifying day.

Meg and Will do not speak as they hurry away from Jack and I, far down the beach where we can no longer see them. I suppose there are only eight more hours until sunset, so I can hardly blame them. In my heart, I know that it's the same for me. He will not stay past sunset, and that is how it must be for us.

"Nim I will need to sail at sunset." he grabs hold of my hand and stops me as I walk up the beach, "Sorry, but I need…"

"Shut up." I silence him with a kiss, "I know. It doesn't matter."

"I'll be back soon." he promises. That is all it takes; his word. Who knows if I can trust it? That is a chance I must take, but like everything else in this world; our choice is what we must live with. No magic can change that.

He takes me by surprise, pushing me down to the sand so violently that all the breath leaves me in one small scream. The sand is soft beneath me as he falls down on me, kissing me ferociously, his long fingers tangled in my hair. Above us, the sun finally breaks through the clouds, and I have a feeling that the magic now running through me like liquid fire has nothing to do with Calypso, and everything to with Jack Sparrow.

I fumble with the buttons on his shirt until eventually, it lies on the ground next to me, and there is only the soft skin of his shoulders and chest, the arms that surround me. I could run from him again, dart through the trees until he fights me to the ground, but I'm done with running, and I'm certainly done with fighting. Instead, I pull him closer and lose myself here. Eventually, when I sleep, I dream only of him and of this beach. When I wake, it's almost sunset, but he is still beside me, the breeze ruffling his hair as he sleeps. To each her own magic…


	24. At Sunset

**Final chapter. We really want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this story, particularly callieandjack, who posts MASS reviews with awesome devotion :) Again, I'ma do some serious self-promotion here and ask you all to kindly put us on Author Alert, as the 4th part of this series will be posted soon. Thanks again, everyone! :D**

On a beach, on Shipwreck Island, it is a time for goodbyes. Goodbye to the sun, as it bleeds towards the horizon, turning everything golden and clear; goodbye to an era where friends fought for their lives, for their loves and for their freedom; goodbye to the dead...but most of all, it is a time for us to say goodbye to each other.

The sea breeze is gentle and warm, almost as if nature itself does not want to make this any harder for me. Clouds are gathering in the sky, but we will worry about them later. Now, we are here, and that is all that matters. I stand on the black rock, the wind blowing my hair from my neck lightly, my dress in tatters, and I am thankful for that fact; that we are here.

She stands away from me, on the sand by the water's edge. He is with her, and that is how it should be...how it can't be. I watch her smile through her tears, and I can catch glimpses of their conversation.

"It has always belonged to you. Will you keep it safe?" he holds out the Chest to her, the one that contains his heart. I almost laugh as she takes it, the grin on her face imperceptible to all but me. Still, even after all this; she is a Pirate fan in the presence of Will Turner.

"Yes." she replies, the gravity in her tone killing my amusement.

He gives her one last look, and he heads for the waves, where they crash on the sand, both washing away our dreams and forming new ones, a change as irreversible as the tide.

"Will, wait!" she cries out, runs to him, catches hold. They kiss in the surf, clinging to each other. I find myself compelled to look away. He really leaves this time, and she is left standing there, her face too devastating to look at, her hands useless by her sides. The sadness of it could bring me to the floor, but I have my own goodbye to say.

Jack waits behind me, just off the rock, a respectful distance behind as if he too understands. With a heavy heart, I go to him. We might be parting for a good long time, but he can return before ten years are up, and he can return for more than one day.

"Nim, it has always belonged to you." he laughs softly, and hands me his compass, "I won't need it now, for I know what I want...and I know where it is."

"But, navigating the ship..." he silences me with a finger to my lips, his rough skin grazing them.

"Will you keep it safe?" he presses.

"Of course." I can barely breathe. He comes closer, forcing my eyes closed and my lips apart. He kisses me, and everything seems to blur into one; a wide-eyed girl in the jail at Fort Charles, meeting him for the first time, a crying girl leaving him on the battlements, his face when she returned to his ship, her tears when she left him to the Kraken, the joy of rescuing him and his eyes when they fought alongside each other in a battle for their place on earth. It blurs, a whirl of colour and sound, his words and mine, until in the maelstrom of my mind, there is only me, sad girl on the beautiful beach, and his lips against mine, for the last time. The very thought of it all exhausts me, and I want to get away, to disappear into a dark room where I might cry for days, until my eyes scratch and I can finally bring myself to say his name.

He finally pulls away, but his arms remain round me as he looks at me carefully.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing, Nim. I love you. You know it, don't you?"

"Of course." I repeat. The green flash spreads across the sky, surrounding us for one shining moment, and I wish it could freeze us here, to this beach, that it could be my reality forever, not just fleeting as illusion, changing as night and day.

"It's time." he looks out towards his ship, and I see the longing in his eyes. It is nothing compared to the longing in his voice, when he said my name that time in the brig of the Black Pearl, or in his eyes when he looks at me now, but it is there, between us still.

"I know." gently, I push him away, "Your place is not something you find. It's something you have when you need it." I tell him.

He looks at me gratefully and leaves, climbing into his little boat and rowing towards the Pearl, shrinking out of sight 'til he is gone from me completely. On the breeze, I hear him singing; A Pirate's Life For Me.

Suddenly inexplicably cold, I walk along the beach, my arms wrapped round me, until I reach where she stands, still staring out to sea, tears falling unchecked down her face.

"Meg? Shall we go home?" I am loathe to speak to her, for I don't know whether she will break down, sob against me. It is all I can do to hold it together, and I know that if she starts, so will I, and I won't stop.

"Home? Yes." she turns to me and smiles, weakly.

On a beach, on Shipwreck Island, it is a time for new beginnings; the beginning of the night, which will hopefully wash us clean of the events of the day. Hopefully... is our loss stronger than that word?

But it is also the beginning of our life in Shipwreck Cove, amid the pirates indebted to us for saving them, in this mad century, and together. In our new house, which is strangely constructed, like the others in the Cove, of old ships, we will make our life, along with Emma and Katie, the girls who gave up their old lives to join us, and with Elizabeth and Norrington, the friends whose decision to help the pirates I can only describe as noble; and we will wait for their return. Is it so much to ask for'? Peace and calm in a world where they are so hard to come by? Sure, I will miss him, but I will be with Meg, and for the first time in my seventeen years, I have true friends on this lonely path.

We walk up the beach, arm in arm, retracing our footsteps and talking about times past, memories collected on our weird, wonderful journey and we disappear over our own horizon, which may be opposite to that which Will & Jack have just disappeared over, but we can't have everything, a sad fact we're fast learning. As the dying day takes its last, weary breath, my best friend and I walk straight into a new life, and, hopefully, new adventures...


End file.
